Tobey Maguire film shoots in Montlake

Update: The Seattle Film Office sent a letter to residents assuring them that he production — if somewhat disruptive — is good for Seattle. Read below for more.

A film crew sets up for the first day of shooting at a house on the 1700 block of 26th Avenue E in Seattle Tuesday. (Mónica Guzmán/Seattlepi.com)

The movies have come to Montlake.

A film crew of locals and Los Angeles transplants took over the 1700 block of 26th Avenue East on Tuesday morning, moving props and equipment in and out of three adjacent homes in preparation to shoot “The Details,” a dark romantic comedy starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Ray Liotta.

The movie is about a couple that gets into a dispute with a neighbor over a raccoon infestation. Today is the first day of shooting.

“If they wanted a neighborhood with a raccoon problem, they picked the right one,” said Marty Lentz, who learned about the film after she saw the line of vans and walked over with Jon Noll to investigate.

Lentz and Noll live too far away from to have gotten the notices sent to nearby residents with the shooting schedule and details about parking restrictions and noise. Cast and crew are scheduled to film late into the night all 13 days they’re in the neighborhood — some nights until 5 or 6 a.m.

Resident Simone Buterse said the Mayor’s Office of Film and Music had urged neighbors to do their best to welcome the crew, saying this is a good opportunity for Seattle.

“I’m more curious than excited,” Buterse said.

But not everyone is happy about all the activity. Neighbors and others hinted throughout the morning that the production was facing resistance from at least a couple residents.

“Some like it, some don’t,” said one woman.

As for star sightings, Tobey Maguire was said to be “in makeup” down the street while the crew set up for the shoot. Neighbors might just get a peek at Spidey before nightfall: He’s scheduled to be in every scene shooting Tuesday.

No word on whether the eight trained raccoons starring in the film would join him. The cameras should start rolling when setup is complete some time this afternoon.

P.S. — The house being used for the interior of the principal couple’s home is the same one the Seattle Times wrote about earlier in the summer, when financial problems stalled the production and left the house’s owner wondering if the half-finished remodels done in preparation for the film would ever be completed. They were. A neighboring house will be used for exterior shots of the home. A third home will house the upset neighbor, played by Laura Linney.

Update: Checking in with the neighbors

Heard back from Seattle’s Film Office with more about the office’s communication with the Montlake neighborhood.

Director James Keblas spent two hours there Monday going door to door shaking hands and getting neighbors “prepared for today,” he said. He spoke with about 20 residents, putting a face to a letter he delivered with information on the shoot and his contact information, if anyone has questions or concerns.

“Almost all the neighbors I talked to said, ‘This is great. I love it.'”

Keblas said he’s been in touch with neighbors for weeks about the production. One of the most common questions he’s asked? How to meet the film’s stars. Keblas said he’s working with the production crew to set up an event, like a barbecue, later this month.

In his letter to neighbors, Keblas wrote:

While there will be a short-term impact to your daily routine, I can assure you this film offers us long-term benefits by showing Seattle’s unique blend of an exciting urban city mixed with single-family homes and unmatched natural beauty. In effect, this film becomes advertising that carries the message that our community is one of a kind and extraordinary. People around the world see this message and respond. This is a type of advertising that costs the City and its tourism efforts very little but has lasting effects.